November 16, 2006
[sneak preview: dreamgirls] 12:47 AM
It will break your heart, melt your heart, and reforge your heart with show-stopping numbers the likes of which you've most likely ever seen. It's that good.
Dreamgirls succeeds in every arena that Rent spectacularly failed. A passionate, organic, exhilerating adaptation, that makes you believe in movie magic.
Jennifer Hudson owns this movie. She's not a star waiting to happen, she's a star you don't know about yet, and she's proven she's got the chops. All the chops.
Beyonce should really thank Bill Condon, just like I'm sure Steven Soderbergh is always on Jennifer Lopez's Christmas card list. She isn't a parody of Diana Ross, she's a fully developed woman who can belt some stuff out. You have to wonder what kind of music she could really make if she strayed from modern top 40 and visited more classical Motown moments like Christina Aguilera.
Eddie Murphy ... who knew the "king" of kiddie comedies would transform his James-Brown-Hot-Tub skit into a dramatic career high?
Jamie Foxx delivers the goods as a man who's easy to distrust, and easy to loathe. I'm not sure how much of this is based on my general ambivilence towards him, but he does what is required of him, which isn't a simple as some might imagine.
Anika Noni Rose steals quite a few scenes during the first part of the film, but by the third act she's capable of grand theft auto. Just like Murphy, she twists a charicature into a fully realized soul who gets to shine more than you'd expect.
Everyone is at the top of their game here, both infront and behind the camera, for a solid 2 hours and 5 minutes, no easy feat. You can literally feel Bill Condon's passion permeating everything, which is a quality that's been lacking in a lot of recent blockbusters. Real filmmakers are getting harder and harder to come by, and its nice to see something that has a determined vision and heart behind it.
I saw this show as a matinee with a bunch of blue heads many of which held their ears shut during "And I am Telling You..." Their loss...Can't wait to see it!
Posted by: schtzo at November 16, 2006 6:54 PMI'm not sure what to think but I'm sure I'll give it a chance.
Posted by: Giuseppe at November 19, 2006 12:25 PM
